Quote Homesick Cajun: [quote]Quote glh1950: Esther and Tracy are rarely on as it is so I never envisioned them on the chopping block. Seems the JFP mo is to get regulars off or only occasional face time so her faves and newbies take over the stories and families.

Yep, it all comes back to the bejamins! She wants to be rid of the veterans so she can buy 10 or 15 unemployed and unaccomplished actors/actresses to shove down our throats. They come much cheaper than paying accomplished vets. That's why 99 per cent of the vets are in supporting roles now. Think how many newbies she could hire with the salary of SC, MTS, AH, or TB.

It's true the younger actors do come cheaper. But there is much more to it than that. Most of the vets are in their 40 and 50's (Victor and Jack are in their 60's and 70's). Many have been on the show for 10+ years. The first problem is an older cast doesn't draw the young audience the sponsors demand. The second problem is the older a character gets the harder it is to come up with interesting stories for them. The third problem is the longer a character has been on the show, the harder it is to come up with something NEW for them.

I disagree. A little creativity and imagination and any writer worth his/her salt should be able to come up with entertaining s/l's for each and every character.

I'm absolutely with you on this. So what if some of the vets have been on the show for years? Their ability to make the show riveting and interesting is ten times greater than any interest generated by any of these newbies being shoved down our throats. Some of the younger actors can't act their way out of a paper bag. There is more to generating interest in a story than how fast some young bodies can hit the sheets, or how fast they can strip for a hot sex scene, a fact that seems to be lost on some viewers, writers and a certain EP we all know and most of us dislike. A good actor given good material to work with can totally dominate a show (Case in point - Doug Davidson's Emmy winning performance last year when he had to shoot his own son). Prime examples are Doug Davidson and Peter Bergman who get nominated for Emmy awards year after year...they're that good!!! All of the really great classic old time movies showed less flesh and had more implied sexual attraction between couples. It was every bit as interesting to watch their relationships develop without throwing everything out in the open. It left more to the imagination and a viewer could have a great time going there. I'll take the vets any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Addendum: If I was a betting person and a vet is still going, I still think it's either Sharon or Tracie[/quote]

Quote glh1950: Esther and Tracy are rarely on as it is so I never envisioned them on the chopping block. Seems the JFP mo is to get regulars off or only occasional face time so her faves and newbies take over the stories and families.

Yep, it all comes back to the bejamins! She wants to be rid of the veterans so she can buy 10 or 15 unemployed and unaccomplished actors/actresses to shove down our throats. They come much cheaper than paying accomplished vets. That's why 99 per cent of the vets are in supporting roles now. Think how many newbies she could hire with the salary of SC, MTS, AH, or TB.

It's true the younger actors do come cheaper. But there is much more to it than that. Most of the vets are in their 40 and 50's (Victor and Jack are in their 60's and 70's). Many have been on the show for 10+ years. The first problem is an older cast doesn't draw the young audience the sponsors demand. The second problem is the older a character gets the harder it is to come up with interesting stories for them. The third problem is the longer a character has been on the show, the harder it is to come up with something NEW for them.

I disagree. A little creativity and imagination and any writer worth his/her salt should be able to come up with entertaining s/l's for each and every character.

Try doing this for 10, 15, 20 years with the same characters! I don't care how creative you are, you will hit a wall!

You can't paint a picture with a broad brush for everyone. Just because MS wanted a change and got tired of doing the same character doesn't mean they all do. Some people do the same Broadway play for years, night after night, and they manage to make each audience feel like it is the first time the actors are performing it. Any good writer should be talented enough and creative enough to write interesting material for EVERYONE involved. Having a new character on the show doesn't mean that we haven't seen the same story done before and done better by an older actor in the past. Do you really think Chelsea is the first soap character to ever lie about who the true father of her baby is??? Been there and done that dozens of times on dozens of soaps by better actors in the past.

Many of them probably are tired of doing the same thing, but they stay because of the financial security. For young men like JM and MM with families to support, that is totally understandable. But a single guy like Jeff Branson (ex-Ronan) can afford to spread his wings.

Quote glh1950: Esther and Tracy are rarely on as it is so I never envisioned them on the chopping block. Seems the JFP mo is to get regulars off or only occasional face time so her faves and newbies take over the stories and families.

Yep, it all comes back to the bejamins! She wants to be rid of the veterans so she can buy 10 or 15 unemployed and unaccomplished actors/actresses to shove down our throats. They come much cheaper than paying accomplished vets. That's why 99 per cent of the vets are in supporting roles now. Think how many newbies she could hire with the salary of SC, MTS, AH, or TB.

It's true the younger actors do come cheaper. But there is much more to it than that. Most of the vets are in their 40 and 50's (Victor and Jack are in their 60's and 70's). Many have been on the show for 10+ years. The first problem is an older cast doesn't draw the young audience the sponsors demand. The second problem is the older a character gets the harder it is to come up with interesting stories for them. The third problem is the longer a character has been on the show, the harder it is to come up with something NEW for them.

I disagree. A little creativity and imagination and any writer worth his/her salt should be able to come up with entertaining s/l's for each and every character.

Try doing this for 10, 15, 20 years with the same characters! I don't care how creative you are, you will hit a wall!

You can't paint a picture with a broad brush for everyone. Just because MS wanted a change and got tired of doing the same character doesn't mean they all do. Some people do the same Broadway play for years, night after night, and they manage to make each audience feel like it is the first time the actors are performing it. Any good writer should be talented enough and creative enough to write interesting material for EVERYONE involved. Having a new character on the show doesn't mean that we haven't seen the same story done before and done better by an older actor in the past. Do you really think Chelsea is the first soap character to ever lie about who the true father of her baby is??? Been there and done that dozens of times on dozens of soaps by better actors in the past.

Many of them probably are tired of doing the same thing, but they stay because of the financial security. For young men like JM and MM with families to support, that is totally understandable. But a single guy like Jeff Branson (ex-Ronan) can afford to spread his wings.

Maybe many of them just love what they do. Maybe many of them don't want to do another show at a certain point in their lives. Maybe many of them just love the people they work with and the relationships they have built over the years with co-workers and others behind the scenes. Maybe many of them feel a sense of loyalty to CBS or the Bell family who made them stars. Just because you look at an actor or actress as being washed up or over the hill doesn't mean everyone feels that way. Maybe some of us appreciate the contribution that they made to the show over the years and continue to make. By your criteria, I guess you feel that Jeanne Cooper should have left the show at least 20 years ago as well. There are already too many people in our society who don't value the contributions made by the generations that came before them. Just because MS felt burned out and ready to move on and is apparently happy with the decision she made to leave, I'm really very happy for her but that doesn't mean that it's the only right answer for everyone else.

Quote glh1950: Esther and Tracy are rarely on as it is so I never envisioned them on the chopping block. Seems the JFP mo is to get regulars off or only occasional face time so her faves and newbies take over the stories and families.

Yep, it all comes back to the bejamins! She wants to be rid of the veterans so she can buy 10 or 15 unemployed and unaccomplished actors/actresses to shove down our throats. They come much cheaper than paying accomplished vets. That's why 99 per cent of the vets are in supporting roles now. Think how many newbies she could hire with the salary of SC, MTS, AH, or TB.

It's true the younger actors do come cheaper. But there is much more to it than that. Most of the vets are in their 40 and 50's (Victor and Jack are in their 60's and 70's). Many have been on the show for 10+ years. The first problem is an older cast doesn't draw the young audience the sponsors demand. The second problem is the older a character gets the harder it is to come up with interesting stories for them. The third problem is the longer a character has been on the show, the harder it is to come up with something NEW for them.

I disagree. A little creativity and imagination and any writer worth his/her salt should be able to come up with entertaining s/l's for each and every character.

Try doing this for 10, 15, 20 years with the same characters! I don't care how creative you are, you will hit a wall!

You can't paint a picture with a broad brush for everyone. Just because MS wanted a change and got tired of doing the same character doesn't mean they all do. Some people do the same Broadway play for years, night after night, and they manage to make each audience feel like it is the first time the actors are performing it. Any good writer should be talented enough and creative enough to write interesting material for EVERYONE involved. Having a new character on the show doesn't mean that we haven't seen the same story done before and done better by an older actor in the past. Do you really think Chelsea is the first soap character to ever lie about who the true father of her baby is??? Been there and done that dozens of times on dozens of soaps by better actors in the past.

Many of them probably are tired of doing the same thing, but they stay because of the financial security. For young men like JM and MM with families to support, that is totally understandable. But a single guy like Jeff Branson (ex-Ronan) can afford to spread his wings.

Maybe many of them just love what they do. Maybe many of them don't want to do another show at a certain point in their lives. Maybe many of them just love the people they work with and the relationships they have built over the years with co-workers and others behind the scenes. Maybe many of them feel a sense of loyalty to CBS or the Bell family who made them stars. Just because you look at an actor or actress as being washed up or over the hill doesn't mean everyone feels that way. Maybe some of us appreciate the contribution that they made to the show over the years and continue to make. By your criteria, I guess you feel that Jeanne Cooper should have left the show at least 20 years ago as well. There are already too many people in our society who don't value the contributions made by the generations that came before them. Just because MS felt burned out and ready to move on and is apparently happy with the decision she made to leave, I'm really very happy for her but that doesn't mean that it's the only right answer for everyone else.

Excellent points. I never meant to suggest that others should leave. I do believe it easier for single actors like MG to take the risk.

In terms of killing off a fan favorite, I'm sorry to say that I don't think the Esther character fits the bill. I just don't think that this character was ever that popular in the sense of the word. The only reason I think Tracie is a possibility is because she is so highly regarded by all the soap journalists who always have nice things to say about her and how she is regarded by long-time Y&R viewers. Otherwise, I'm still thinking Sharon because for a very long time she was wildly popular with a large fan base and a lot of viewers have stayed faithfully behind her in spite of how the writers have done their best to ruin this character.

Quote glh1950: Esther and Tracy are rarely on as it is so I never envisioned them on the chopping block. Seems the JFP mo is to get regulars off or only occasional face time so her faves and newbies take over the stories and families.

Yep, it all comes back to the bejamins! She wants to be rid of the veterans so she can buy 10 or 15 unemployed and unaccomplished actors/actresses to shove down our throats. They come much cheaper than paying accomplished vets. That's why 99 per cent of the vets are in supporting roles now. Think how many newbies she could hire with the salary of SC, MTS, AH, or TB.

It's true the younger actors do come cheaper. But there is much more to it than that. Most of the vets are in their 40 and 50's (Victor and Jack are in their 60's and 70's). Many have been on the show for 10+ years. The first problem is an older cast doesn't draw the young audience the sponsors demand. The second problem is the older a character gets the harder it is to come up with interesting stories for them. The third problem is the longer a character has been on the show, the harder it is to come up with something NEW for them.

I disagree. A little creativity and imagination and any writer worth his/her salt should be able to come up with entertaining s/l's for each and every character.

Try doing this for 10, 15, 20 years with the same characters! I don't care how creative you are, you will hit a wall!

You can't paint a picture with a broad brush for everyone. Just because MS wanted a change and got tired of doing the same character doesn't mean they all do. Some people do the same Broadway play for years, night after night, and they manage to make each audience feel like it is the first time the actors are performing it. Any good writer should be talented enough and creative enough to write interesting material for EVERYONE involved. Having a new character on the show doesn't mean that we haven't seen the same story done before and done better by an older actor in the past. Do you really think Chelsea is the first soap character to ever lie about who the true father of her baby is??? Been there and done that dozens of times on dozens of soaps by better actors in the past.

Many of them probably are tired of doing the same thing, but they stay because of the financial security. For young men like JM and MM with families to support, that is totally understandable. But a single guy like Jeff Branson (ex-Ronan) can afford to spread his wings.

Maybe many of them just love what they do. Maybe many of them don't want to do another show at a certain point in their lives. Maybe many of them just love the people they work with and the relationships they have built over the years with co-workers and others behind the scenes. Maybe many of them feel a sense of loyalty to CBS or the Bell family who made them stars. Just because you look at an actor or actress as being washed up or over the hill doesn't mean everyone feels that way. Maybe some of us appreciate the contribution that they made to the show over the years and continue to make. By your criteria, I guess you feel that Jeanne Cooper should have left the show at least 20 years ago as well. There are already too many people in our society who don't value the contributions made by the generations that came before them. Just because MS felt burned out and ready to move on and is apparently happy with the decision she made to leave, I'm really very happy for her but that doesn't mean that it's the only right answer for everyone else.

Excellent points. I never meant to suggest that others should leave. I do believe it easier for single actors like MG to take the risk.